Advertising holder for grocery cart



March is, 1962 R. M. KEMPHER 3,024,554

ADVERTISING HOLDER FOR GROCERY CART Filed April 25, 1960 Robert M. Kemp/7e 1N VENTOR.

BY @Mm...

United States Patent O 3,024,554 ADVERTISING HOLDER FOR GROCERY CART Robert M. Kempher, 1020 Putnam St., Findlay, Ohio Filed Apr. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 24,456 3 Claims. (Cl. 40-308) The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a holder for display-type advertising signs, placards and so-called displays of types for appropriate use in self-service grocery stores and the like. More particularly, the invention has to do with a holder which may be described as an attachment for the front wall of a wheeled self-serving basket.

It is generally well known that advertising signs and cards are adopted for use wherever and whenever the advertiser considers it a propitious time to advertise. In fact, it is prevailing practice to install displays and ads in card and panel form on the front end of a shopping basket or cart. Others working in this line of endeavor have suggested holders and racks to enable advertisers to carry out their ideas in one manner or another. It follows that the instant concept has to do with a structurally and functionally distinct holder, one which may, if desired, be fashioned from a suitable grade of moldable commercial plastics.

Looking toward accomplishing the intended result in a highly practical, feasible and economical manner, the form of holder herein disclosed is strongly recommended for adoption and use.

In carrying out the principles of the present invention a frame comprising two substantially U-shaped holders is provided and these holders are connected together by means which straddles the upper edge of the front wall of the wheeled basket in such a manner that one sign may be disposed on the interior and the other one on the exterior.

More explicitly, novelty is predicated on the inner and outer U-shaped interconnected frames or holders having suitable grooves which receive and removably rack the placards or signs in place. Then, too, novelty is predicated on the use of practical and simple snap fasteners which function to secure the U-frames in position and against displacement.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of a basket of a shopping cart showing the improved sign holder and the manner in which it is constructed and used.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the vertical line 22 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the holder removed and also with the signs removed.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the snap fasteners.

Referring now to the drawing and in reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the woven-work or equivalent openwork basket of the aforementioned shopping cart is denoted by the numeral 6. The front wall with which we are here concerned is denoted at 8 and, more specifically, the upper rod member of the wall is designated at 10. As already mentioned, the holder is of a twin or two-part construction. Each part may be described properly as a substantially U-shaped section or sign holder and these sign holders are denoted as an outer one 12 and an inner 3,024,554 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 one 13. These are preferably made from moldable plastic material and each one embodies a horizontal bight portion 14 and vertical spaced parallel limbs or legs 16. The two holders are identical in construction and, as a matter of fact, they could be switched around to serve either in inside or outside positions. Each one is proportionately that which measures properly with the part of the wall with which it has association. The upper ends of the arms are connected by a bight, curved linking bend or joint 18. The latter feature is such that the two frames are disposed in spaced parallelism and are capable of being fitted in position so that they are hung, as it were, over the upper rod 10. The mere weight of the holders would not sufiice to keep them in an intended position. It will be noticed that the bight portions and arms are provided with grooves which might perhaps be referred to either as rearwardly opening rabbets, tracks or channels 20 in which the insertable and removable signs or panels 22 are slidingly keyed and thus satisfactorily mounted. The bights 1-8 are of semi-circular cross-section for providing access openings to the rabbets 20. The signs stay in position in the channels because they are virtually braced against the wires or rods which go to make up the front wall 8 as is evident in FIGS. 2 and 3. Consequently, the respective channels may be said to open toward each other but assume positions interior and exterior in respect to the front wall 8 which is sandwiched therebetween. Greater security is obtained by providing snap fasteners at the lower corner portions of the U- frames 12 and 13. This is accomplished by way of block-like spacers 24 and 26. These are made for companion association and are therefore the same in crosssection. The block 26 has a keeper hole or seat 28 therein to accommodate the insertable and removable headed keeper stud or pin 30. In other words, the blocks function as spacers and also as male and female snap fasteners.

While it is not new in this line of endeavor to provide holding frames for advertising placards and so-called ads, there appears to be no adaptation embodying the U- frames with receiving and racking channels either used singly or collectively and particularly wherein the frames are joined as at 18 and are also seperably connectible together at their bight portions by way of intervening spacing and snap fasteners.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A sign holding attachment for the front wall of a basket such as embodied in a shopping cart in selfservice stores comprising a workpiece holder embodying a pair of molded plastic U-shaped frames each having bight portions and arm portions, the arm portions being connected together by curved bends and said bends being adapted to be saddled over a supporting member embodied in the aforementioned front wall, the com ponent bight and limb portions of the respective frames having grooves and said grooves providing channels for removable reception and retention of insertable and re movable advertising placards, the lower corner portions of the respective frames comprising aligned and abutting block-like spacers, said spacers having male and female components constituting snap fasteners.

2. For use on a wall of a grocery cart basket, a sign holder comprising a one-piece rectangular frame folded transversely on itself at an intermediate point for straddling the wall and including duplicate U-shaped sections for receiving the wall therebetween and bights connecting said sections at the ends thereof and adapted to bridge said wall, said sections having opposed rabbets therein for the reception of removable signs, said bights defining access openings common to said rabbets, and means for detachably connecting the bight portions of the sections and for preventing the signs from slipping by gravity from therebetween.

3. For use on a wall of a grocery cart basket, a sign holder comprising a one-piece rectangular frame folded transversely on itself at an intermediate point for straddling the wall and including duplicate U-shaped sections for receiving the wall therebetween and bights connecting said sections at the ends thereof and adapted to bridge said wall, said sections having opposed rabbets therein for the reception of removable signs, said bights defining access openings common to said rabbets, and means for detachably connecting the bight portions of the sections and for preventing the signs from slipping by gravity from therebetween, said means including pairs of opposed blocks on the bight portions of the sections, one block of each pair of blocks having sockets therein, and headed studs on the other blocks engageable in the sockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 759,561 Sherman May 10, 1904 1,116,942 Smith Nov. 10, 1914 1,369,550 Scharf Feb. 22, 1921 1,378,179 Luick May 17, 1921 1,729,249 Egan Sept. 24, 1929 2,723,474 Minter Nov. 15, 1955 2,984,922 Ladenburger May 23, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 522,693 Germany Apr. 15, 1931 

